Sword and Demon
by sakurademonalchemist
Summary: Ichigo wasn't happy to be placed in Sarayashiki Junior High, but that was before he meet Yusuke and learned a few things. Like the fact his dad is a soul reaper, his best friend is the new Spirit Detective, and that there are more than just human souls out there. Now he has to help Yusuke learn the ins and outs of policing the demons before they BOTH get eaten!
1. Chapter 1

The entire thing all began when Ichigo Kurosaki was sent to Sarayashiki Junior High. He was only fourteen at the time, but he had already been labeled a punk by his last school. Since no one wanted to deal with him he was sent to a school that had the highest number of delinquents in the surrounding prefectures. The only person he even knew there was Chad, and that was because the two had struck up a friendship after dealing with a group of thugs.

Ichigo didn't mind befriending Yusuke, the punk kid of the neighborhood. While Ichigo didn't respect his ability to lead others, he did respect the fact that Yusuke never picked on those much weaker than him and didn't tolerate bullies. He was an idiot, but one with a good heart. The only exception to this was Kazuma Kuwabara, but that was because the guy really underestimated his own strength and challenged Yusuke to fights all the time.

Then everything changed when Yusuke finally proved he wasn't a two bit thug by saving the life of a little kid. It was then that Yusuke learned some very, very important facts that he hadn't known about his best friend.

Ichigo could see ghosts.

* * *

Ichigo was close to snapping at Yusuke, because he was making it very hard not to laugh at the idiot teacher. As it was, Ichigo already hated the man because of the things he said about the teen at the funeral.

Finally the bell rang and Ichigo went to the roof. Keiko had been hit pretty hard by Yusuke's death, but until he needed a voice Ichigo wasn't going to mention the boy was still around.

"So where's blue girl?" asked Ichigo.

"_Meh. Botan went to iron out some details with a runt named Koenma. Apparently he's in charge of souls that need to be judged instead of Enma who runs Hell."_

"How do they judge people?"

"_If their crimes aren't too bad they send them off to some place called the Soul Society, but since I died before my time they want to offer me a deal in exchange for something."_

"Dude, if this involves some sort of Kiss of Life, count me out unless you don't have another option. I like ya, just not that way."

"_I'd let you punch me if that were EVER the case,"_ said Yusuke in agreement.

Ichigo enjoyed his free time and was half tempted to skip class. The rest of the lessons for the day happened to be with teachers who looked down on Yusuke simply because of his drunkard mother.

As it was, once he had proven trustworthy around the twins, Yusuke had gotten an invitation to crash at the Kurosaki clinic whenever he needed to, no questions asked. He didn't even bat an eye at the oddity that was Isshin Kurosaki.

"Ah, to hell with it. I'm going to pull a Urameshi today," said Ichigo.

"_Urameshi?"_ asked the ghost amused.

"Yeah, to hell with the rest of classes. The only teacher I even like is the one who actually gives a damn that you skip all the time. Maybe Chad will join me."

"_Give Kuwabara an ass-kicking for me will ya? He's been deprived of the greatness that is a beatdown,"_ said Yusuke grinning.

"I would but I heard his sister would kick my ass if I did it before a test. You get away with it because you don't have to study for them."

Yusuke laughed as Ichigo went to the library to study instead of class. It was quieter there. Isshin had made it clear he didn't mind the skipping (after meeting the rat faced teacher who complained and then seeing how he treated Yusuke) so long as Ichigo kept his grades up and did something constructive with the free time.

As such, half the time he skipped he went to the library or did his homework.

Yusuke wandered off while he read books, and didn't reappear until dinner. He found it funny that the Kurosaki clan could all see him, except for Isshin. Yuzu could sense him, but it was Karin and Ichigo who could see and talk to him.

* * *

A few days later Yusuke went missing, but this wasn't entirely unexpected as he had used Ichigo to speak to Keiko for a minute. Ichigo had a feeling it would happen, which was why he had told the girl he had been speaking to him and that he had a message to pass to her.

Fortunately it was somewhat well-known Ichigo could see ghosts, he just didn't care too much. Though of course some of the idiot teachers didn't believe him, so when Ichigo proved he could, they shut up rather fast.

It was kind of hard to dispute it when a poltergeist started to harass you nonstop.

Ichigo skipped class and headed to Yusuke's new apartment, since the last one had burned down due to a serial arsonist in the neighborhood. Ironically it happened to be right across the hall from the one he lived in during school days. It was too expensive for him to ride the train at four in the morning (well that and he hated getting up that early) so he rented an apartment and studied like mad so he could go to Karakura High after he finished Junior High.

He still didn't know how the hell he ended up in Sarayashiki Junior High when he was always in the top ten of his class and lived a prefecture away. He eventually concluded that his refusal to dye his hair black or any other color had been the cause, and moved on.

The night before he had an odd dream where he had to kiss Yusuke in order to revive him. Why, he had no idea, but the jerk owed him something for this, since his mother was going to be out for a few days...again.

He made periodic stops at the apartment and it wasn't until noon that his suspicions were confirmed.

Ichigo looked outside where he saw the Grim Reaper named Botan, and growled.

"You're the Reaper girl right? Is this some sort of trust exercise for Yusuke or what?"

Botan blinked, surprised Ichigo could even see her. His spiritual sense must be off the charts.

"Actually since he used up his only other shot at revival by saving Keiko, this is the only chance he has to be brought back."

"...(bleep). That slacker owes me a monumental favor for doing this. And I mean MONUMENTAL!" he growled.

Ichigo went in, shared some of his life energy and glared when he saw Yusuke wake up.

"Dude, you have no idea how much you owe me for this," said Ichigo flatly.

"Like I care! Your breath reeks!" said Yusuke.

"When I realized this was in fact real, I ate some garlic," said Ichigo smirking.

Yusuke yelped and went to get a drink of water. Ichigo cackled and went to make something to eat.

"You hungry?" he called out.

"Starving!"

"Ramen, yakisoba, onigiri or other?"

"I don't care! Just give me time to wash my mouth out!"

"Grow up!"

The two continued this playful banter all the way to the Yukimura Ramen stand, where Ichigo calmly told Keiko's parents that Yusuke had woken up from a coma that the doctor's couldn't detect with all their fancy machinery. Considering he was the son of a doctor, they believed him. So it wasn't too surprising that Yusuke came in starving.

Ichigo's excuse for Yusuke was later used by his mother to get him back in school, since it was entirely plausible and much more believable than the fact that he had been dead and was revived by the leader of the dead. Considering they couldn't _disprove_ it, they reluctantly allowed him back.

* * *

"Man, it's great to be back!" said Yusuke cheerfully.

"Agreed. It was rather annoying to talk to you while pretending to be on a cell phone," said Ichigo.

Ichigo had learned the greatest trick to avoid looking like an idiot while speaking to ghosts. He just put a phone up to his ear and anyone who saw him assumed he was talking on it.

Chad had opted to skip school that day since the only classes were the ones full of idiot teachers who hated Yusuke and those who associated with him

"So did Kuwabara thank you for kicking all those guys asses for that week?"

During the time Yusuke was a ghost, Kuwabara got into trouble with one of the more prejudiced teachers who wanted an excuse to kick him out. Too bad for him Yusuke alerted Ichigo to the scheme, so he went out of his way to follow Kuwabara and then proceeded to beat up anyone who tried to take advantage of the agreement. Chad helped, since he rather liked the odd boy who had a sense of honor. His strength was for situations like these.

Ichigo even took time out of his studying to help the boy pass the exam, to the fury of the teacher. Kuwabara had gotten almost all of them right and even an idiot would have seen all the erase marks on the test.

The guy had no choice but to pass him, even more so when he overheard what the two other teachers had planned to do in order to get rid of Kuwabara.

If he had attempted it anyway, Ichigo wouldn't have let the fact he was a teacher save him. He would have kicked his ass and dragged him to the Principal and have him explain _exactly_ what the agreement was and the way the man had tried to break it.

Ichigo knew that the amount of thugs after Kuwabara that week weren't a coincidence. Someone had to have let the agreement leak.

The three walked along the side-walk, enjoying the fact that Yusuke was now among the living again, when they passed by a fortuneteller. When she started to speak directly to Yusuke, Ichigo's eyes narrowed. He recognized that voice.

"Reaper, why are you trying to pretend to be a fortuneteller?" he asked.

"Botan?" said Yusuke.

The girl huffed, annoyed she had been caught so quickly.

"Koenma has a job for you. There's a demon he wants you to catch as part of a test. It's a really weak one, but a real pain to find," said Botan.

"Is this part of the reason why he allowed Yusuke to come back?" asked Ichigo.

"He wants Yusuke to act as his new Spirit Detective."

"What exactly does this job entail anyway?"

"Mostly hunting down demons and solving any crimes that mortals can't. You won't have to deal with Soul Reapers, but you'll be able to see them," said Botan without hesitation.

"Soul Reapers?"

"They're the ones in charge of the more pleasant afterlife, and they're the primary ones in charge of soul retrieval. We just pick up the slackers and help out the spiritually aware people who know about Koenma. Soul Reapers don't exactly encourage interaction with humans unless they're wearing a fake body to walk around in," explained Botan.

"What's the difference between a Reaper and a Soul Reaper?"

"Soul Reapers carry swords. In fact I think most of those swords have demon souls in them," said Botan.

"What makes you say that?" asked Ichigo.

"The fact that we rarely see any demons in the afterlife," said Botan bluntly.

"Anyway, about this demon?" asked Ichigo.

"Right...here's what we know about him," said Botan, and she explained. Ichigo and the others would keep an eye out.

Hunting demons sounded a _hell_ of a lot more interesting than dealing with the morons who taught at the junior high school.

* * *

In the end it was Yusuke who found the demon first, and a fun fact he could tease Kuwabara about. He honestly had no idea the idiot was an avid kitten lover.

Even so, he accepted the Detective job once he learned how much he would be paid for each case he 'solved'. The fact that the job mostly entailed brute force and the occasional diplomacy didn't hurt either. Ichigo and Chad joined him, since while Chad could only just sense ghosts, he could see demons quite well and his absurd strength would be a big help later.

Botan still couldn't figure out why Ichigo was practically spilling reiki all over the damn place, or why he couldn't sense that fact even when she mentioned it.

The next case ended up being a surprise to all, because it was so sudden. Someone had taken advantage of the fact Enma was out to steal some important artifacts.

Ichigo joined Yusuke while Chad studied for a test. While he disliked most of the teachers, he still had problems studying. Hence why he didn't skip nearly as often as Ichigo did.

Ichigo hung back and allowed Yusuke to try out his reiki for the second time, only to realize the idiot had used it already that day. Ichigo came up from behind this 'Goki' creature and landed a rather painful haymaker on him.

Needless to say the demon wasn't pleased by the interruption of his snack.

Even less so when he figured out that Ichigo had far, far more spirit energy and was more than happy to beat him black and blue if it meant helping Yusuke out.

Botan managed to distract him long enough for Ichigo to rescue the unconscious Yusuke. This was going to be a long week.

* * *

Yusuke eventually figured out how to beat Goki. However Ichigo was more interested in the red head who passed by him and mentioned he would return the Forlorn Hope after the full moon.

Ichigo was inclined to believe him, but followed him anyway. The second he recognized the school, he repressed the urge to whine.

Kurama met him at the gate, looking somewhat amused.

"Now that is just unfair. How the hell is it a fox demon ends up in a prestigious school like that and I end up in a hellhole like Sarayashiki despite always being in the top ten in my class?" complained Ichigo.

Kurama couldn't help his amused laugh.

"Karma?" he suggested.

"That can't be it. I've never beaten up anyone who didn't at least deserve it and I'm overprotective of my twin sisters."

Kurama grinned. He could grow to like Ichigo, if he survived.

Ichigo quickly sympathized with Kurama when he learned of _why_ he had stolen the mirror. More so when he found the fox was willing to die to insure that his mother lived.

He quickly shared some of his life with the mirror so the fox wouldn't have to give up his, as did Yusuke who had experienced the grief of a mother who had lost their child too early first hand.

It was the first time in his life that Ichigo had ever felt his spirit energy noticeably drained.

_**'How very interesting. I cannot wait to see how your power develops in the coming months, little shinigami. With the amount of reiki you possess curing that woman was pathetically easy,'**_the mirror said amused.

"What did you call me?" asked Ichigo. He was holding the mirror while Yusuke went with Kurama.

_**'You didn't know? Your spirit power is that of the Soul Reapers that inhabit the Seireitei. From the feel of it, the power must be inherited by a parent. It would certainly explain why a mere human has at least C class in power pouring out, yet has the reserves of an A class,'**_commented the mirror.

"Is there any way to unlock that power?"

_**'You'll have to ask the Reaper girl. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to go about it, and my ability is spent for the next year.'**_

Ichigo handed over the mirror to Yusuke and decided to chat with Kurama some more.

* * *

Hiei was somewhat impressed by the level of energy the orange haired kid was letting off. It dwarfed his own, and to have reserves that you didn't instinctively keep so much energy in said the kid was either a B or A class in power. For some reason the kid didn't even blink at the large amount of eyes on him, and when he finally wrestled the sword from him he seemed perfectly at ease with the sharpened piece of metal in his hands.

Too bad the kid was crap at controlling it, either that or he didn't know _how_ yet.


	2. Chapter 2

Koenma was decidedly impressed by Ichigo's power levels, more so when he mentioned the conversation with the Forlorn Hope before the glass was cracked.

Too bad he didn't know how to help Ichigo awaken his natural abilities. While he was in communication with the Captain General (usually joining him in a long tirade against paperwork, which was a hell in itself) he had no clue on how to awaken his soul reaper abilities without getting another soul reaper into hot water.

And frankly they weren't that desperate yet.

He did, however, direct Ichigo to the Spirit World Armory to get a sword he could use in place of the ring Botan had given Yusuke since his power levels were just barely above D rank.

Ichigo walked out with a sword that had been causing a few spiritual disturbances before Koenma sent someone to bring it to the ReiKai and a communicator so he could get a hold of Yusuke. Apparently the slicked backed teen had trouble keeping track of his detective tools, so they handed them over to Ichigo since he lived across the hall and was aware of ghosts.

* * *

"So this Genkai lady might be able to help me control my spirit pressure?" asked Ichigo.

"And if Yusuke manages to pass her test, she'll double as his training," said Botan.

"Oh he won't be happy to hear that. Can I be the one to break it to him at the worst moment imaginable?" asked Ichigo with a pleading look in his eyes.

Botan snickered. At first she thought Ichigo was grumpy and moody. Then she realized he just didn't like interacting with people who didn't know how to fight all that much and had a lot of difficulty remembering names. Well, that and he had a real sense of humor, as proven by the pranks he played on Yusuke. Informing the boy of the fact that he was going to be stuck as an apprentice for six months with a grumpy old woman who could kick his ass was just going to make Ichigo's day.

* * *

"Kuwabara, I know you have limited sixth sense, but I don't know if you're ready to join this kind of thing," said Ichigo. The three teens had gravitated to each other in a show of solidarity.

"Dude, ever since the incident with the fire my spirit sense has been driving me nuts! It's bad enough I can just barely hear them..."

"I've been able to see them since I was 13, and I've always been able to hear them. The trick is to learn when to ignore them. Thankfully they always seem to disappear after a month, though Karin hasn't had the same issues I've had," said Ichigo.

"Who's Karin, your girlfriend?" asked Kuwabara.

Yusuke winced beside him. Ichigo glared at the red head.

"Karin is my younger sister, and her twin Yuzu can't even see them just yet. The only person in my family who _can't_ sense the damn thing is my dad, though sometimes I wonder if he's faking it," said Ichigo.

"You see ghosts?" asked Kuwabara.

He really hadn't bothered to get to know Ichigo or Yasutora (Chad) because they had become quick friends with Yusuke. All he knew was that Ichigo had a temper if he saw bullying and that Yasutora was the strongest student in the school. Even some of the older students didn't try to piss him off, though for some odd reason he never used his strength to defend himself. Usually Ichigo would appear out of nowhere and beat up anyone bothering his friend.

It was rather strange.

"Like I said, it's sort of a family trait. Though it does have it's downsides..." said Ichigo darkly.

"Like what? I mean besides the fact they can get annoying..." said Kuwabara.

"My mother died because I was too young to figure out the difference," said Ichigo deadpan.

The two shut up rather quick, realizing it was a very touchy subject.

It was around that time that the doors opened to reveal a short old woman with light pink hair that had as much gray as it did pink. But what caught his attention was the look she was giving the teens, who were easily the youngest people there aside from some short guy who was dressed as a young monk.

Ichigo may not be the most adept at sensing spirit energy, but even he could tell something was off about the guy.

He did choke back a laugh when he heard what the first test was.

He picked out a lot, and waited until told to open it. It wasn't just red, no, it was a bright cherry red as opposed to Yusuke's blood red and Kuwabara's magenta.

From the look the old woman was giving him, the color of his paper was very unusual.

Two people weren't happy with their lots, and challenged her decision and it warmed Ichigo to see her kick their asses without even lifting a finger.

Even if the next test made him cringe.

He couldn't hold a tune to save his life.

Ichigo stepped up to the machine with trepidation. He just _knew_

Yusuke would never let him live this one down. Luckily for him, it seemed the machine had the opening theme to a show he had started watching recently, because he remembered at least half the words.

"_Listen closely and you should be able to hear_

_A door is faintly calling you._

_Deep in the darkest part of the forest, in this world_

_Someone is screaming loud_

_To pry open the night._

_Secret World, I'll come and save you_

_Come out and open up_

_Close your eyes and fly away, to a world you cannot see._

_To the distant, ancient secret world, secret world."_

_(This is the opening theme song to a show called 'Tactics'.)_

Yusuke and Kuwabara sniggered, but Ichigo wasn't nearly as bad as he believed. Genkai was more interested in the song choice.

Unsurprisingly, he had the highest score in the karaoke game, and the highest in the punching one, since Yusuke didn't want to blow his cover. He thought he was only there for the demon Rando.

Ichigo didn't mind pretending to be the Detective.

However it was the results of the Jen Kan game that surprised him. He scored somewhere in the middle, getting nearly sixty percent of it right.

He didn't expect to get even a third of them right.

"Those of you who have passed at least two of the games, follow me. Those of you who failed, get lost."

Once she outlined the terms of the next task, which happened to be running through a forest to a single tree on the hill, they all took off. Those with weaker spiritual sense quickly became lost.

Ichigo, on the other hand, followed the odd tang of Genkai's spirit pressure all the way to the tree, but he was the second one there. The first was Kuwabara. The old psychic gave him an odd look.

"You know I'm curious about you brat. You have far too much spirit energy to be seriously considering my technique. So why are you really here?"

Ichigo shrugged.

"Partly boredom, but mostly because while I have an absurd amount of energy (according to others anyway) I can't seem to access it worth a damn. I did have an interesting conversation with a mirror that was considered a priceless artifact by Enma called the Forlorn Hope that said I had the inherited powers of a shinigami. But I don't really see it."

"Did this mirror specify which type of shinigami?" asked Genkai sharply.

"No, but Koenma did let me borrow a sword from the Armory. Something about how it was easier than asking a shinigami to share their powers to kick-start mine or something."

Genkai didn't need help putting those tidbits together. A sword to channel energy and inheriting shinigami powers. The kid was a born soul reaper. And he looked damned familiar at that.

"What's your name brat?"

"Huh? Kurosaki Ichigo. Why?"

_'Damn. It IS him. That explains the power pouring out. Spirit cuffs tend to break after a few years and this kid had them put on after his mother died...'_

"Nothing. If you survive this tournament I recommend sticking around for a bit before I send you off."

Ichigo didn't understand why she said that, but figured she had a good reason.

* * *

It all boiled down to a tournament. It wasn't until Ichigo went up that something interesting actually happened. The guy had a bokken made of some spiritually enhanced wood, not that you could tell. Ichigo could barely land a fist on the jerk, because it was too dark. Finally he landed a hit, only for it to turn out to be the blasted sword. He broke a quarter of it off, and it landed somewhere near his foot. He picked it up, figuring he could always stab the guy in the eye if he had to.

At least, that had been the plan.

Without warning everyone was flattened by a massive spiritual pressure. Ichigo and Genkai were still standing, and but she was having trouble breathing. Ichigo was perfectly fine, but there was something odd about the piece of wood in his hand.

It was in the shape of a massive meat cleaver without a guard, and was as long as he was tall. It seemed really, really familiar to him and he didn't have a clue why. The name was on the tip of his tongue.

Suddenly the guy came from the right and Ichigo parried instinctively. The bokken was cut by another quarter, and was half it's original size.

The man stared at his wooden sword in disbelief. Even for spiritual pressure, it was ridiculous to think that an untrained brat could break this special sword.

Right?

Ichigo didn't think, he just acted on instinct. He slashed at the man who went down like a tree, but was relatively unharmed. He would later realize that his spiritual pressure had caused him to pass out.

"Winner, Kurosaki," said Genkai. Ichigo put the piece of wood in his pocket, and the pressure dropped like a rock. Everyone slowly stood up and stared at him in disbelief.

"Dude, what the hell?" asked Yusuke.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he admitted.

Yusuke spotted Botan, who quickly ushered him outside.

"Yusuke, we just got a _massive_ spike of energy from here. Have you seen Rando?"

"That wasn't Rando. It was Ichigo," said Yusuke.

"WHAT?!"

"I don't know what the hell happened. One minute he was fighting the next this weird pulse hits us and only Genkai was able to remain standing," explained Yusuke.

"DUMBASS! GET BACK IN HERE OR FORFEIT THE MATCH!"Genkai yelled at him.

Yusuke growled, but went in anyway. He did note the odd look Genkai was shooting Ichigo though.

* * *

Yusuke's fight was the last one before they went outside, and everyone was shooting Ichigo weird looks because of the surge earlier.

"Same as before, you'll fight until one is the victor," said Genkai bored.

Luckily for Yusuke, Ichigo went first. The guy was a really annoying ninja type and he kept throwing stars that blew up if it got to close.

In Ichigo's case, whenever one was five feet from him. He was about to draw the piece of wood again when he slipped into a bog. The shuriken, unable to find him over the spiritually active grounds, hit the ninja instead. Yusuke laughed himself hoarse when he realized Ichigo only won because he slipped and fell.

It was Ichigo VS Shorin, and Yusuke had beaten Kuwabara. Ichigo knew this creep had to be Rando, because he had been giving off a weird vibe all day. When Ichigo gave the fake monk a strong kick to the head, the demon had had enough and transformed into his true form.

Ichigo and Yusuke were decidedly unimpressed.

"I don't know what kind of demon you are, but it won't matter when I'm done with you," he sneered.

"What kind of dumbass would come to a psychic known for being able to kill demons if he were a demon himself?" asked Ichigo.

"No human could possibly leak that much power and not be dead yet!" snapped Rando.

"He's not fully human, I'll give you that much," muttered Genkai.

Yusuke and Kuwabara snapped their heads at her in shock.

"What do you mean he's not fully human?" asked Yusuke. As far as he was aware, Ichigo was human. He was nothing like Kurama or Hiei.

"That kid is a Shinketsu. One of the first ones in over two hundred years."

"Shinketsu are a myth!" said Rando derisively.

"Hardly. It's just hard for them to be born in the human world. Most end up becoming stillborn or are killed off," Genkai corrected him.

Ichigo had enough common sense to bring out the piece of wood he had broken off. Like before, a giant cleaver type sword appeared. At least this time they got a good look at what it looked like.

Ichigo moved like he had done this a thousand times before, the weight of the sword comfortable in his hand. Rando tried to kill him, but Ichigo's power, in physical form, was stronger than the demon ever had been even with his stolen tricks.

Ichigo cut him up but left enough that Botan could take him to be tried for his crimes.

Genkai had only one thing to say since the last two were best friends.

"Well, since it's obviously going to be a fight between Captain Dumbass here (_OI!_) and Mr. Stabs-a-lot, who wants to just flip a coin?"

Ichigo raised his hand. Yusuke was still tired and he didn't fancy having to try and beat Ichigo with that huge sword of his.

In the end Yusuke got the apprenticeship, to his annoyance.

* * *

Genkai took Ichigo deeper into the mountain. That way when she told him why she knew of him he wouldn't cause too much damage. It was bad enough his reiki was breaking out so much, even with the cuffs on him.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"To be blunt kid, we've met before. The trauma of your mother's death simply covered it over," she said flatly.

"What?"

"Your dad brought you here because you were attracting the wrong sort of attention, and I put spirit cuffs on you a month before your mother was killed. You were spilling out just as much as now, only if it had kept up your body would have failed within a year."

"My...dad? But he can't see ghosts!"

"He can see them alright, he just quit reacting. He lost his power some time ago, but after you and your sisters were born he started to regain enough that he could see them again. Anyway, you'll need to remove the cuffs since they're failing."

"What exactly do spirit cuffs do?"

"In a nutshell? They put you under extreme reiki training. You have to keep up 100 percent output with your spirit pressure just to be able to move. Back then it wasn't really a problem, since you were leaking like a sieve. But after a few years the cuffs will start to break down, more so if the power behind it is starting to act up. You had a lot of reiki as a kid, and the older you got the stronger it became."

"How do I remove it?"

"The key to the cuffs is a single word. _Abvitis._"

"Why that?"

"It's a word no one would ever use in a sentence," shrugged Genkai.

Ichigo agreed and decided, 'Meh, what the hell?'

"_Abvitis_._"_

The reaction was instant.

Genkai was flattened, as were the trees in a 10 kilometer radius. They were reduced to splinters! She saw the form of his spirit, and to be honest it did scare her just a bit. The boy was a mixture of Hollow and Shinigami, a perfect amalgamation of both. It was something Isshin never mentioned. Either that or he hadn't known Masaki was a very high class hollow who had managed to keep a gigai for that long.

It was his eyes that caught her attention. Before they were a calm hazel...but now they had a glow that was mostly associated with reiki. She had known spirit cuffs started to break down after five years...but the amount of power this kid naturally gave off was ridiculous.

"So what now?"

"Now? Now I plan to get a stiff drink before you and Yusuke try meditation my way. With the amount of power you naturally have, there isn't a chance in hell you're getting my spirit orb," she said flatly.

"I was never after it in the first place. I just wanted to know how to use my energy like Yusuke does so I wouldn't be a burden during cases."

Genkai sighed. At least his heart was in the right place.

"Let's get started brat."


	3. Chapter 3

Ichigo nearly collapsed on the table when he finally made it back to Karakura. He had asked for a leave of absence for three weeks, since he had gotten an apprenticeship and the woman wasn't about to let him leave until she could be assured he wouldn't slack off when he went to school.

It was a semi-true excuse, and the other teachers were crowing at the fact Ichigo was gone along with Yusuke.

Chad hadn't been pleased, until he got a similar invitation and a way to increase his spirit sense. Once she got him on to a level close to Yusuke's (who was NOT happy about being tricked into an apprenticeship) Chad started to work on his own and kept an eye on Keiko for the teen.

"Ichigo-nii! You're home!" cried Yuzu. Ichigo had been gone an entire month, without so much as a call when he made a point to come by at least once a week.

"Hey...Yuzu..." said Ichigo, trying not to crash. Genkai was a total hard ass, but at least she made things interesting.

She also decided against the spirit cuffs, since his power level was far too high at the moment and he needed to learn how to keep it under control himself. Yusuke wasn't so lucky, since after pissing her off one too many times she slammed a pair on him and Ichigo refused to give him the safe word to unlock it.

Yusuke needed the power boost if he didn't want to get his ass kicked after a few shots.

"Ichigo. Where have you been?" asked Isshin. His son looked like hell.

Ichigo glared at his father.

"I don't need a lecture from _you_ of all people," he growled. Something in his tone told Isshin that Ichigo knew about his power.

"Ehehehe...why don't you take a nap and we'll talk later?" said Isshin. His son looked barely coherent.

"Nap...sounds like heaven..." muttered Ichigo, and he went up to his old room and crashed. He wasn't seen till dinner, and he had come in at breakfast.

Karin was pretty happy to see her brother again too.

* * *

"I know you have a lot of questions..." said Isshin.

"Why didn't you tell me about the spirit cuffs when I started complaining about my ability to see ghosts getting stronger?"

"I had forgotten all about them," he admitted.

"So was what Genkai-sensei said true? Are you a soul reaper?"

"Former. I lost my power a long time ago and my reitsu is only now starting to come back."

"Reitsu? I thought it was called reiki?"

"Reitsu is what we called it. Reiki is what the Reapers call it."

"So how the hell do I summon my sword? I keep bringing out this massive cleaver thing every time I use my focus, but if I lost the stupid piece of wood I would have trouble fighting."

"Oh? Let's see it," said Isshin.

Ichigo reached into his pocket and pulled out a broken piece of wood that looked like it originally came from a bokken. He concentrated and channeled his energy into it, and a cleaver type sword appeared. Originally it had been rough and undefined, but not you could clearly see the edges and it wasn't fazing in and out all the time.

A few weeks with Genkai with the cuffs fully removed had done wonders for his control. Apparently the entire problem was that his spirit energy was fighting against the restraints and that was what caused the leaking.

"Well, at least now we know what your shikai looks like," said Isshin.

"Shikai?"

And so Isshin divulged quite a bit about standard soul reapers. He wasn't very good at Kido, but he did know someone who could teach him when he wasn't training with Genkai. Swordsmanship he could learn from his sword, once he figured how to get into his inner world.

According to Isshin his spirit levels qualified him for Bankai training (apparently you need a High +C ranking at least to even start it) but since he didn't know how to even bring out his sword he would start on shikai.

And unlike the ReiKai, Isshin _did_ know how to bring out the zanpakuto without getting into trouble. The only problem was that it really stressed the human body, and most gigai couldn't handle it.

However, because of the fact Ichigo had been wearing spirit cuffs for seven years, his body was well used to such a strain. It had to be, because he never once noticed the fact that his spirit energy was being forced at 100 percent for all those years.

Thought to be fair, Isshin never expected that side effect to sealing his son's energy until he was old enough to handle it.

* * *

Ichigo went up into the mountains of Genkai's estate. She certainly didn't care if he meditated up there.

He could feel himself falling, falling until he couldn't see the top. And he woke up to find himself in a world where everything was sideways.

"What...the...hell?" he said. To be honest the sideways building was freaking him out because all common sense said that he should be falling now.

_**Ichigo...**_

The teen looked around for the voice, and finally his eyes landed on an old man on a pole.

Ichigo twitched. His zanpakuto was an old emo on a pole.

"Who are you?"

_**My name is...**_

Ichigo didn't hear a thing, as a wall of static blocked it. The old man seemed to realize this because he sighed.

_**I had hoped with the restraints removed you would be able to hear me. Especially since you have started to use a fraction of my power already.**_

"You mean the thing with the broken piece of that bokken? I can barely manage that, and even then Genkai said unless I can unleash the whole thing it would be less than useless."

_**Yes, but you're already ahead of other shinigami at this stage because you at least know what I look like when I'm released, even without my name. That is more than most soul reapers manage. Perhaps, when you can finally hear me, you can unleash the whole thing.**_

"In the meantime...do you know how to play Rummy?"

The man blinked twice, before grinned. The two quickly settled down to play cards, never pausing except for the occasionally exclamation of cheating, which was as playful as the time he played against Yusuke and Genkai in a game of poker. That had been fun, because the old hag's rules on cheating was if you got caught, you got kicked in the head out off the cliff and had to climb back up.

Needless to say the boys had quite a bit of fun with that game. Occasionally Genkai let them catch her cheat just so she could bring back snacks.

She seemed to enjoy the game as well, though that might have been because Yusuke kept trying to cheat and got caught every time, and he had to climb up with a giant boulder on his back.

* * *

Ichigo's routine became simple. Get up, got to class, sleep through most of it to piss off the idiots who thought he was a delinquent worse than the ones he usually beat up with Yusuke and Chad, then level enough reitsu on the bastard that he wet himself.

The old man on the pole thought it was rather funny too, since Ichigo spent most of his classes training with him, only to pause long enough to make the teacher wet himself.

Since he was learning how to handle the sword straight from the zanpakuto himself, Ichigo slowly learned about the sword spirit. Even if he couldn't learn his name (he mostly called him Old Man) he could still learn more about him.

That attitude pleased the sword greatly, because it meant Ichigo wouldn't take him for granted.

Once class was over, Ichigo would look for Hiei, who was rather pleased that Ichigo had a sword to spar with. The little fire demon quickly raised Ichigo's speed, and he seemed happy to have someone to fight against who wouldn't complain or get killed. Kurama ended up coming over more often than not to help Chad study while the two wore each other out fighting.

Chad didn't mind the fox demon, and was grateful for the help. It didn't hurt that he shared an apartment with Ichigo to save on rent.

All of this eventually lead to the point when Yusuke returned, to a relieved Keiko.

* * *

Ichigo swatted another batch of bugs with his sword. Hiei looked just as annoyed as the teen did.

"How about we call it quits until these...pests...are taken out?" he suggested.

"Why, can't handle a few bugs?" said Hiei, still in a fighting mood.

"No, but I know I can't be the _only_ one tired of getting bug in my eye because of the large number," said Ichigo flatly.

"Hn. Good point. You any closer to hearing his name?"

"I'm starting to hear bits and pieces, which is an improvement. I couldn't hear a damn thing last week," said Ichigo.

Hiei sheathed his sword. It was the one Ichigo had originally, since the cleaver he had broken Hiei's last one. Koenma didn't need to know the fire demon had it.

Though he did want to know why the hell he kept hearing a voice in his head ever since he got it.

* * *

Ichigo ran into Yusuke and Kuwabara.

"Yo. Is it just me or have these bugs gotten really, really annoying lately?" he asked.

"It's not you," Yusuke deadpanned.

Once they beat up a few punks with knives, Botan showed up to inform them of the new mission. Apparently some demons who were cranky about being locked up for quite a while decided to make their bid for freedom.

The second Ichigo heard they were responsible for the bug problem, he summoned his spirit sword and growled "Show me where they are and I'll have their head on a platter. These damn things are cutting into my sparring practice!"

"Who the hell can you spar with out here?" asked Yusuke curious.

"Hiei. Since he's stuck between here and Karakura, he fights with me to keep his skills sharp. Thanks to him I'm almost ready to hear my sword's name."

"Dude, you almost know it? I can't wait to see what that thing really looks like!" said Yusuke.

Genkai had explained exactly what the sword was and what learning the name would do.

Botan lead them to a small opening that would lead them to Maze castle. Ichigo went down first, followed by Yusuke and surprisingly enough, Kuwabara. He had the communication mirror on him and he fully planned to ask Botan what it cost to buy them so he could always stay in touch with his sisters.

As it was, Isshin had taken the girls out of school for a bit and took them to see an old friend of his until the insects went away. The hollows in the town were more active with the demons around. There wasn't a chance in hell that they would break through to Urahara's underground training ground.

Karin, the quick thinker, realized that Tessai knew how to use the same weird energy the siblings had and got him to show her how to use it.

Yuzu had some, but she wasn't able to see ghosts as well as Karin. It later turned out that she was under the same spirit cuffs as Ichigo had been, but hers had yet to break apart. Karin's was starting to fall on their own.

Isshin did what he could to protect his children, and to make them strong enough for the trials ahead. He knew that they wouldn't be able to remain hidden forever, which was why he put them under the spirit training without their knowing. Genkai didn't like it, but even she agreed it was the best option. At least with spirit cuffs their body would get used to being at full power and wouldn't break. Plus it made them stronger.

Ichigo was having fun cutting the weaker demons in half. He was putting his hard-earned skills sparring with Hiei to good use. Yusuke and Kuwabara let him play with the demons, since they weren't nearly strong enough to take out that many and not get killed.

It wasn't until Kurama and Hiei finally showed up that they made any headway.

"Have fun Berry Boy?" asked Hiei.

"You better believe it. Those guys aren't nearly as annoying as you are."

Hiei chuckled. There was a reason why he liked Ichigo.

The smaller demons weren't stupid enough to try to attack Hiei _and_ Kurama, and they knew something was up with the human. He was too strong to be normal!

* * *

"So Ichigo, have you made any headway into hearing his name?" asked Kurama.

"Bits and pieces. He said that maybe all I need is a swift kick in the ass or a really tough opponent before I'll be able to bring him out properly."

Hiei snorted.

"You'll probably get the tough opponent bit first."

"Which reminds me. Why the hell are you even here Kuwabara? You have no discernible skill in the spirit arts, aside from a rather impressive sensory ability," asked Ichigo.

Kuwabara held up his hand, like a fist and displayed his new technique. It was a sword, apparently, though the thing looked really half assed.

"I can make it grow or become small," he said proudly.

"And?" prompted Ichigo.

"Er...that's about it. Took me weeks to figure out how to bring it out with that piece of wood I found in that dark room at Genkai's."

"You mean the place where I first unlocked spirit energy? I wondered where the other piece of wood went. I thought the guy simply took it with him."

"Nah, I picked it up. Figured if you could unlock yours with the first piece I should try my luck at mine."

Ichigo stared at him blankly.

"That is likely the smartest thing you have ever come up with. Congratulations, you have been upgraded from civilian to cannon fodder," said Ichigo.

Hiei wasn't the only one laughing.

The only thing that went through his mind while he tried to keep the gate from crushing him was _'Of all the times Chad isn't around! He could have broken this damn thing already!'_

His zanpakuto agreed.

Eventually Hiei managed to get the lever that released the gate.

Finally, they were inside Maze castle. And their first opponent was Genbu, which according to legend was called the Earth Turtle. Kurama opted to face him, since he recently managed to bring out his favorite weapon, the Rose Whip.

* * *

"You alright Kurama?" asked Yusuke. Ichigo had brought out the rudimentary kit had with him, since he was the son of a doctor. By the time he was done bandaging the wound, Kurama didn't even feel pain anymore.

Though that could have been because of the extra strength pain relievers he had on him. He would pay to find out where Ichigo had found those.

"I'll be fine. You're a better doctor than I would have expected Ichigo," said Kurama.

"My dad may be an Ex-Soul reaper, but his current position is a doctor. I know enough to handle the basics, but whenever there's a real problem at the clinic I just stay out-of-the-way. My sisters are better at this than I am," he admitted.

"Hn. I thought Shinketsu were killed at birth?" asked Hiei.

"According to Genkai their human bodies can't handle the strain from only one shinigami parent. She mentioned something about my mother but I wasn't paying attention at the time. It doesn't help that my dad had her put spirit cuffs on me a month before she died," said Ichigo.

"From what I heard, if the soul reapers hear about a child they either kill them or kidnap them. Something about hollows becoming to much of a problem," said Kurama.

"Hollows?"

"Spirits who have lost their heart. They eat other souls. They also tend to eat demons when they can get them, but only the weakest ones can be killed by one," said Kurama.

"So...who gets the next one?" asked Yusuke.

"Dibs!" said Ichigo before Kuwabara had a chance to.

"Damn."

"If he survives after dealing with me you get to go after him. You could use some battle experience with your sword before I throw you in Hiei's direction."

Hiei glared at him before Ichigo whispered something to him that only Kurama caught. The fox seemed to be having trouble not laughing.

After that his demeanor was decidedly more cheerful!


	4. Chapter 4

Ichigo's only thought when he saw Byakko was that 'That is one annoying cat.'

He brought out his spirit sword, and let Byakko make the first move. The tiger didn't blink, but rather sent some makeshift demons to test the waters. He wasn't an idiot.

Ichigo cut them all in half with his sword,not even phased by there appearance. He ran towards Byakko, not even caring about the distance.

Byakko jumped down and started to suck in the kid's energy, only to blink. Why wasn't the sword growing smaller? It wasn't until he knocked Ichigo off the parapet that things really got interesting.

"Ichigo!" yelped Yusuke.

_Am I going to die?_

…

_SCREW THIS! I AM NOT ABOUT TO LET AN OVERSIZED TIGER KILL ME THAT EASILY!_

_**Perhaps now you are finally ready. My name, Ichigo, is...**_

"ZANGETSU!"

The explosion of power did three things.

One, the sword in his hand became much more solid and had a cloth tied around the hilt. Some of it even flapped in the breeze.

Two, Ichigo was back on the parapet, and his power was calmly swirling around him in a wave. He was stronger than before.

And three, Ichigo was no longer wearing his tee shirt and jeans that were ripped open at the knee caps. Instead he was wearing the standard uniform for soul reapers, with an odd brocade along his back. It was red, and from what Hiei could tell it would allow Ichigo to wear his sword on his back.

"Hope you can survive this Fluffy, because I really can't control this quite yet," said Ichigo calmly.

Byakko growled at the nickname, but was caught off guard when a blast of pure spirit energy hit him like a wall.

The demon was so taken aback that it took him a bit to get to his special hell room. Like Ichigo said earlier, he allowed Kuwabara to go after him. He knew it would be easier for a weakened demon to be taken out by the weakest member of the team.

* * *

"You are a real idiot," said Ichigo. Kuwabara had won by the skin of his teeth...almost literally.

"While I agree, there is something I've been meaning to ask you Kurosaki. You called your sword Zangetsu after you fell off the castle. Why?" asked Kurama.

"Oh...that's because my sword is a Zanpakuto. I had to call out his name for me to release any of his real power. I've been sparring with Hiei for weeks now just to hear his name."

"You're a soul reaper?" asked Kurama surprised.

"Genkai called me Shinketsu...which I have no idea what that means."

"It means 'True Blood'. That's the term given to the children of both soul reaper and the living. They're extremely rare since generally they can't handle the strain of their powers in the living world, so they tend to die rather quickly...unless they're eaten of course," said Hiei.

"They are also considered abominations by the soul society. In terms that you can understand, the nobles of the soul society regard them with the same attitude as the Koorime do male children," explained Kurama.

"Fox..." growled Hiei.

"Looks like you had more in common with Ichigo than I thought Hiei."

"So, Hiei, does your sword still complain?" asked Ichigo, changing the subject.

"Yes, though recently I've been hearing the voice more often. He keeps trying to give me a name, though I can only hear bits and pieces."

"I think it's a zanpakuto just like Zangetsu. Maybe you'll get a power up once you hear his or her name."

"Hnn. It would be interesting to see how the Soul Society reacts to a demon with a zanpakuto. They're notorious for being intolerant of demons in general for some reason, and their leading judicial body is notorious for being idiots," said Hiei.

"Great..." said Ichigo sarcastically. Hiei smirked at him.

* * *

It was Hiei's turn next...Byakko had barely survived and yet Seiryuu killed him without a second thought simply because he had lost. And in doing so he pissed off Hiei.

The foolish ice demon was sliced and diced before he could realize that his powers were useless against the Hi-Koorime. Only Ichigo was able to keep up with each stroke of the blade, and that was from months of sparring with the demon.

Hiei and Ichigo got along for many reasons, but the primary one was because Ichigo was like Hiei in many ways. He would kill to protect family, even if it meant having to do some unsavory things in the process. Hiei was still searching for his twin Yukina, and Ichigo had given the demon his promise that if he ever needed help in rescuing her, he would do everything in his power to assist him.

And if Yukina needed a place to recover, they could leave her with his family, since Isshin had actually met Hiei before and had taken a shine to him. Hiei had great fun punching Isshin in the face for being an idiot.

Naturally the fiery demon got along great with Karin.

Hiei was about to put his sword back up when he noticed something.

He could hear the voice clear as day.

_Alright then, who are you?_

_**It's about damn time! Do you know how boring it was being stuck with a soul reaper who already has a sword and or in that damn armory? I thought I would never be heard again!**_

_Name please._

_**An impatient demon aren't you? Very well, my name is Ensui. I have the ability to take in water and turn it into a blade. Hot, cold or liquid. I can bring out the Koorime blood that has been lying dormant inside you, making you much harder to beat.**_

_Interesting. Perhaps I won't snap you in half like I had originally planned..._

"Hiei, you alright?" asked Ichigo.

"The sword finally deigned to talk to me," said Hiei.

"Swords can't talk," said Kuwabara, as if speaking to a child.

"Normal swords can't, but Zanpakuto can," said Kurama.

"Zanpak-what?" said Kuwabara.

"Zanpakuto, or the weapons that Soul Reapers use, are part of the soul and therefor have the ability to talk to their wielder. In most cases their primary function is to send souls to the afterlife or to hell, depending on whether or not the soul had committed crimes in life. Most of the time spiritually aware people with the right wavelength will see them running around town taking care of fallen souls called hollows," said Kurama.

"You mean those weird demons with holes in their chests and white masks?" said Kuwabara.

"They aren't demons," said Hiei defensively.

"Hollows are not demons. They are human souls who failed to be taken to the afterlife in time or were eaten by other hollows. While some can be as strong as demons they certainly aren't like Hiei and I," said Kurama. Inwardly he was just as offended as Hiei. Comparing a mere hollow to a demon... the very nerve!

"So what's the deal with Soul Reapers?" asked Yusuke, opening the door. The could talk while they walked.

"Soul Reapers are entirely different from ferry girls like Botan. They have their own society called the Soul Society and they live in the Seireitei, or Court of Pure Souls. A soul that has been lead to the afterlife by a soul reaper goes to the soul society instead of the Reikai like you did. The one in charge of the soul reapers is a man named Genryusai Yamamoto, and he is over a thousand years old," said Kurama.

"How do you know all this stuff?" said Kuwabara.

"There have been altercations in the past and there was almost a war before Enma put his foot down and laid down an agreement with Yamamoto. Now, soul reapers can only go after hollows and the Reikei can only go after demons...though there was an incident a few hundred years ago when the soul society nearly wiped out a group of spiritually aware humans called the Quincy because according to them they were 'disturbing the balance of souls'. The Reikai was pretty upset because living humans fall under their jurisdiction. According to some of the records I looked up at Koenma's request, Enma told Yamamoto if he had that much of an issue with the Quincy he should have brought it up to them," said Kurama.

"Though to be fair, the Quincy were living mostly in Seireitei territory that Reikai," said Hiei.

"They have territory?" said Ichigo, blinking.

"They split Japan into districts to keep the peace, since there are other afterlifes and soul societies out there. Karakura for instance is Seireitei territory whereas Yusuke's town is Reikai. It's actually a bit of a nightmare whenever a wanted demon slips into Seireitei territory or a hollow slips into Reikai space...though generally the biggest issue is with demons, because hollows have their own world and the Soul Society seems to have trouble keeping them in, unlike the Reikai, who simply put up a barrier to keep the higher levels in the Makai," said Kurama.

"Sounds like a pain in the ass... Turn right, the demonic energy seems to be coming from the third door on the right," said Ichigo.

"Yeah, I sensed it too," said Kuwabara. What he lacked in skill and fighting potential he made up for in his ability to sense energy.

It was pretty much the only reason that Hiei had yet to kill him, despite the teen being the weakest of the group.

(Ichigo was the strongest, followed by Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and finally Kuwabara.)

* * *

"We have to kill pod people to go ahead... is this guy serious?" asked Ichigo.

"I have an idea..." started Yusuke.

"If it involves jumping on the shoulders of everyone else, forget it. No way in hell am I letting you do that when you have kami-knows-what on your shoes from walking around here. Hang on...Zangetsu's saying something... Really? Huh...useful," said Ichigo after a moment.

"What did Zangetsu tell you?" asked Hiei.

"He said soul reapers can walk on spirit particles."

"Oh, that. Soul reapers have innate control of spirit energy. Sometimes they use it to run or stand on thin air. It's mostly used in the living world, because there's too much of it in the soul society for any real control to be possible," said Hiei.

"So basically I can fly," said Ichigo.

"No, you can walk on air. Flying takes a specific device or a ferry oar," said Kurama. It was almost dripping in sarcasm.

Ichigo grabbed Yusuke's collar...and started running. Zangetsu told him how to control the spirit particles in the air to walk on them, and with a few tentative steps the teen was air bound and running up to the window past the pod people. Kuwabara was gaping while the two demons started to work on the pod people, as Ichigo put it.

Ichigo leaned out the window.

"We'll meet you at the top!" he shouted down.

"GET GOING ALREADY!" shouted Hiei back.

* * *

The trio arrived just in time for them to see Ichigo killing a brightly colored bird that had the flute in it's claws. Yusuke was out cold and Suzaku was dead from a spirit attack.

"Damn bird," said Ichigo as he stomped the flute flat.

"What happened to him?" asked Hiei looking at Yusuke.

"Used up his reserves. Any of you know how to do a transfer?" he asked.

"I do," said Kurama sighing. Yusuke was beyond reckless. Ichigo supplied the power (Kurama had a bit of trouble regulating it until Ichigo figured out how to cut some of it down) and once he was done, he leaned down to pick up the teen. Kuwabara was about to pass out on the spot.

Kurama looked at Hiei.

"Flip a coin?" he said.

"Heads," said Hiei. Kurama took out a single coin and flipped it. Ichigo caught it and said "It's tails."

Hiei cursed, but knocked out the redhead before putting him in a fireman's carry.

"Ow..." said Kuwabara. Both Yusuke and the foolish Kuwabara had practically worn themselves down to their lowest during the last mission, and unlike Ichigo they didn't have naturally large reserves to fall back on.

Ichigo was healing Chad, who had his hands full dealing with the insect possessed teachers trying to kill Botan and Keiko. Once he was done here, he was going to meet Hiei so they could spar with their swords.

He had learned an interesting fact about his new uniform and sword.

Whenever his clothes turned to soul reaper standard, he was invisible to everyone who couldn't see ghosts. Which made hiding the massive cleaver a hell of a lot easier.

Zangetsu remained a massive cleaver and refused to revert back to a standard katana. Strangely, while Ichigo had no trouble lifting him, Hiei had nearly collapsed under his weight when Ichigo allowed him to inspect the sword.

According to Kurama, it meant Ichigo's sword was permanently in shikai, or initial release, state.

Isshin confirmed what Kurama had told them about the soul society and the reikai, though he was more familiar with the soul society for obvious reasons.

Now that Ichigo had managed to bring out his sword without ditching his body (made it a lot easier to explain that Ichigo had merely stepped out or left than trying to hide his body every time he needed to do something) Isshin signed him up to work with Tessai on kido.

It was only a matter of time before the Soul Society learned about Ichigo, and he would rather his son be prepared for the worst.

Ichigo was about to head out of his house when he heard the commotion down the street.

At first glance it appeared to be Yusuke and Kuwabara beating up people...which made absolutely no sense because those two were practically bed ridden.

"The hell?"

Ichigo popped into Yusuke's house and heard him cussing out his mother again. So that wasn't him down there.

(Isshin had all but adopted Yusuke as a son, considering he was a better parent and less terrifying than Atsuko to the Principal. That being said, he could care less about Yusuke being a complete delinquent, considering the school already considered his son one as it was. Ironically enough, the fact Yusuke acted like a second older brother to Karin and Yuzu actually meant they had some protection from the neighborhood bullies. Not that Yuzu ever took use of that fact...Karin on the other hand had Yusuke and Ichigo on speed dial.)

Ichigo went outside, took one look at the imposters and grinned.

It had been far too long since his last beat down of the morons.

* * *

"AHHH!"

"SWEET MOTHER OF KAMI! HE'S A DEMON!"

"NOOOOO! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BEND THAT WAY!"

"WILL YOU PEOPLE SHUT UP?! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" yelled Yusuke, before he looked down and spotted a familiar head of orange hair.

He took out the special item Ichigo had asked Koenma to hand him and the others. He had a feeling that they would end up in hot water again, and it would be easier if they had a way to contact each other just in case.

They looked like cell phones, and according to Botan, Koenma got them from the Soul Society. They were mostly used in the field to find Hollows, but these were calibrated to locate demons.

Ichigo's had a duel-function, so it could find both.

Yusuke deftly located Ichigo's number (it had numbers already in it, he just had to find them) and dialed it. He never had to pay for minutes, but he did have to charge the damn thing.

"_Yo."_

"Who are you beating up down there?" he asked grinning.

"_Some idiot demons decided to take advantage of the fact you and Kuwabara were out of commission for a while to ruin your rep and cause trouble. I...persuaded...them to fuck off," _said Ichigo. Spending time around Yusuke had added to his vocabulary.

"Ah. Carry on then," said Yusuke, yawning.

"_Go back to sleep Urameshi,"_ said Ichigo with a snort.


End file.
